Michael Vick may be out of the playoffs, but he's still in play. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback is front and center in "The Michael Vick Project," a new docu-series, debuting Feb. 2 on BET, that chronicles his personal journey since serving time for his association with a dog-fighting ring.
BET's president of original programming, Loretha Jones, admitted that the network might get backlash from viewers who don't believe a convicted celebrity should get his own show, but she also said it was important to give him a second chance.
"There's no excuse for what Michael did," she said. "But we would be doing a disservice if we were saying to African-American men and their families that they should be written off after making a mistake."
In other news from the world of cable, Science Channel announced that it is teaming up with Steven Spielberg for a six-part series on the aftermath of the World Trade Center disaster. "Rebuilding Ground Zero" will debut in 2011.
Other notables at the press tour Thursday included Cheryl Hines, Ricky Gervais, Tom Hanks, Steve Zahn, Rosie O'Donnell, Susan Sarandon and Al Pacino.
